Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Hello from Ottawa, Canada

icrusoe

By icrusoe
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

icrusoe

icrusoe

Posted
Posted

Just starting to get into this wonderful world! My girlfriend and I have attended around 5-6 of the monthly meetings at the Ottawa RASC center. Great topics and awesome discussions to be had there every month. I find that it runs much like a university class.

I'm currently using a borrowed 8" skywatcher newt on a dob. First night out I found more DSO's than I could count on my hand and that was before I started using Stellarium. The software definitely speeds things up!

Future plans, Skywatcher 80ED with possibly HEQ5 synscan, or the EQ3 with synscan. Orion autoguider and Orion G3 imaging camera. I think it should be a nice setup to get started with imaging without breaking the bank. Portability is also a must as I'm living near the city center. We have lugged the big 8" around, luckily I have a large pickup truck to accomodate it - a small car would make for interesting packing!

I see this is mainly a UK user base forum, so here's to hoping I find some locals from my area!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 36
  • Created
  • Last Reply
JamesM

JamesM

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Would certainly recommend anyone who is venturing into astrophotography to get hold of a copy of Steve Richards "Making Every Photon Count" here (hopefully you can access this in the Canada) as it will tell you what kit you need and why you need it to take good consistent images.

Clear skies and enjoy the forum

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites
icrusoe

icrusoe

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks all for the welcomes :)

@Wavesoarer: I was also very surprised that I found so many, especially being in the city. They were faint grey's, but I definitely knew I was looking at the objects I was searching for! Star hopping FTW.

@JamesM: I will definitely pick up that book. The $60 CAD it will cost I'm sure will pay itself off numerous times! Does it come in pdf form? I can't seem to find a copy to purchase in that form, if it does.

@all in regards to HEQ5. Apart from the HEQ5's higher payload capacity, are there any major differences between it and the EQ3 with Synscan? I imagine the HEQ5 weighs considerably more than the EQ3? And following that line of thought, heavier = higher quality. But I'm not sure how well the ED80 would handle DSO Imaging from inside the city. That's why I was thinking of going with the lighter weight EQ3 - for portability sake. Open to suggestions/corrections!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
icrusoe

icrusoe

Posted
  • Author
Posted

That's good to hear about the HEQ5 (what do they go for in CAD with synscan? I can't seem to find prices at all).

Is it just me, or are second hand *anything* telescope related impossible to find? Cloudynights.com seems to have only ads that are already sold. And astromart charges $12 for membership to their listings!? I guess I'll have to start contributing more and get my post count past the 50 threshold to get access to the classifieds here :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JacobvonChorus

JacobvonChorus

Posted
Posted

Hello,

I am also local to Ottawa :smiley:. As an alternate (and fairly similarly priced) option, you could also try starting with a DSLR. It won't have the TEC or a CCD, and you will probably end up getting it modified, but the DSLR does have many more pixels. The sensor also being larger, will also pick up a larger area of the sky.

The 80ED is a great scope, I have the Skywatcher Equinox 80 and it is amazing. It's lightweight and can produce great images .

See you at the next RASC meeting (the observations section will probably be full of transit images).

Jacob von Chorus

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.